Mental Health Check-Ins For Back-To-School Season

Back-to-school season is an exciting time, marked by new routines, social groups, academic supplies, and learning opportunities. Yet it also comes with a surge of activity and stress. While kids juggle homework and extracurriculars, caregivers face their own pressures: coordinating schedules, managing commutes, and adjusting to the school’s rhythm.

A 2024 Life360 survey of 1,000 U.S. parents with children aged 5 to 14 highlighted the significant time, financial, and emotional burdens families experience during back-to-school season. Most parents identified this time as the most stressful of the year, with the overall effort extending far beyond purchasing school supplies or new clothing.

Rather than waiting for burnout to set in, regular check-ins and simple, intentional practices can support mental health and build a foundation of balance and resilience. Whether you’re a caregiver, a parent, or a student yourself, you should remember that back-to-school transitions don’t need to be perfect. 

Here are four practical mental health check-ins to help you navigate the season with greater ease. 

Dr. Zita Chriszto, a clinical psychologist who works closely with families and young people, notes that “parents, caregivers, and educators play a powerful role in creating stability during times of change.”

She said these check-ins are crucial not only for students but also for parents managing the emotional tone at home.

“Families can benefit from culturally responsive tools to help smooth transitions,” she said. “Normalizing anxiety is an important first step; reminding both yourself and your children that back-to-school jitters are typical and reframing them as part of the normal adjustment process can reduce stress. Establishing routines, such as predictable bedtimes, wake-up schedules, and homework plans, helps students feel secure and less overwhelmed. Maintaining cultural traditions, shared meals, or language routines can provide additional stability during periods of change, too.”

Maintaining social support is key, whether through friends, mentors, or student groups, providing opportunities to share experiences and gain encouragement.

“Open communication is equally important: encouraging people to share their worries and validating their feelings without immediately trying to ‘fix’ them fosters trust and resilience,” Zita said.

Similarly, Sunny Patel, M.D., M.P.H., highlights in a SAMHSA article that “it’s normal to feel anxious about these changes,” and notes that “talking through emotions can help students feel understood and reduce stress.”

Physical care cannot be overlooked. Research shows that structured self-care practices can significantly improve student well-being. A 2024 global study from JMIR Publications found that high school students and staff who participated in a four-week web-based self-care program experienced notable decreases in anxiety and loneliness, along with increased life satisfaction.

The program also highlighted the importance of setting boundaries and pacing commitments to support overall well-being and build a strong foundation for a successful school year.

Check your calendar and ask what can wait. Plans can change unexpectedly, and that’s okay. Learning to adapt is key to managing responsibilities without guilt. Instead of viewing change as a setback, see it as an opportunity for growth.

A 2023 paper in Frontiers in Psychology shows that students can improve their ability to manage competing responsibilities by “developing skills that enhance their work-study flexibility and congruence” and by being “prepared to raise, and act on, changing working times during high study demand periods.”

Demographic and contextual factors also influence how easily students can set boundaries. The results also found that older female students with greater financial responsibilities faced more challenges negotiating their work-study demands. Supporting them requires strategies that address systemic barriers as well as developing strong boundary management skills. 

By being aware and intentional during the back-to-school season, we can foster growth, resilience, and emotional well-being, reminding us that challenges often lead to personal development. Incorporating small, consistent practices can ease these transitions, and simple routines, such as daily reflections or organized activities, can help establish a sense of control.